Corstopitum
Overview Corstopitum is a city in western Reilla, a country located in the far north of the continent of Rath. Having close ties to the Order of Bahamut, Constopitum is an orderly city concerned primarily with trade and religious study. It currently serves as the staging area for trade flowing between Steinfestung and the rest of Eona, with most major merchant houses having at least a token presence. The city exists in a mutually-supportive relationship with several nearby monasteries of various allegiances and a martial academy for trainees dedicated to the Order of Bahamut. The deep religious tradition and nearby presence of the paladins of the Order serves to keep Corstopitum relatively free of the vice and graft that exemplify Eisenplatz to the south. History Founding In DR 36352, the Order of Bahamut founded a small training academy to support the increased numbers of Reillian recruits and to help promote stability in the region following the discovery of silver in the hills to the southwest of Verzauberstadt. After the founding of Eisenplatz, the increase in trade brought more people into the region, with many would-be prospectors turning to traditional trades after they failed to strike it rich. Over the next twenty years, a network of villages and towns sprung up between the Order's academy, Verzauberstadt, and Eisenplatz. By DR 363575, the crossroads where the routes from Verzauberstadt in the east and Eisenplatz in the south converged at the academy had become a city in all but name. Following a fire which destroyed half of the buildings in DR 363576, the Order petitioned Jus for formal permission to found Corstopitum. The request was granted and, with the support of the other two nearby cities, the first stones of the Platinum Plaza were laid by Cardinal Aldo Tannerson in DR 363579. Growth Over the next five years, Corstopitum took shape, with one of each of the five sections of the city being completed each year. In the spring of DR 363584, the last of the planned construction was completed and the Gates of Justice were formally opened with much fanfare. By the time the construction was completed, however, the Order found itself spending more time governing than training, and so the decision was made to transition the city into civilian hands. Although the paladins maintained their academy in the city, the process of civilian transition went relatively smoothly until by DR 36388, the only direct link between the paladins and the city government was in the person of Aldo Tannerson, who served as both Governor of Corstopitum and Cardinal of the Order of Bahamut. In the several years following the events of the Second War of the Rift, the governorship of Corstopitum passed to purely civilian hands, and the Order withdrew their base of operations from Corstopitum in order to inhabit the old mountain fortress to the northeast. The Order restored and expanded the old fortress, eventually petitioning Jus for formal recognition as the city of Steinfestung. As the only land route to Steinfestung originates at Corstopitum, the city has served as the gateway and trade hub for the Order ever since. Trade After the discovery and restoration by the Order of Bahamut of the Hall of Rings in DR 36457, the position of Corstopitum as the gateway to Steinfestung led to the city's ascent as the center of trade for the region as well as the prime conduit for the extra-planar goods flowing from Steinfestung. While Verzauberstadt was largely unaffected by the change, Eisenplatz fell into economic decline as the precious metals market was overshadowed by the extra-planar trade. The establishment of an enchanter's guild and the introduction of magic item production helped stabilize the city, but the Great Houses would not forgive Corstopitum for usurping its place as the economic center of the region. An attempted coup by the Great Houses of Eisenplatz in DR 36466 was narrowly foiled with the aid of the mages from Verzauberstadt, although there was fighting in the streets before the combined might of the paladins from Steinfestung and the mages from Verzauberstadt were able to impose order. Two of the districts in the city were burned, along with a good portion of the Common Tier outside the walls. A major renovation and expansion of the city was undertaken, with the eventual construction of five districts in the New City and the renovation of the Old City into the three Prime Districts. By the completion of the renovation and expansion in DR 36482, Corstopitum had achieved the overall form that would maintain to the present day in DR 36623, with most expansion taking place in the outlying towns. Infrastructure Government Bureaucracy Governor The Governorship of Corstopitum is, by tradition, an elected position. However, upon election, the governor serves an unlimited term. Unless the Governor resigns or dies in office, the only way to remove the Governor is by a special vote of the Ruling Council. The special vote may only be called by a joint motion of both the Temple Council and the Justicar. The role of the Governor is to manage the economic rule of the city. His duties include levying taxes, setting import duties, managing foreign relations, and city maintenance. While responsible for the administration of the city, the Governor does not command any military or police forces, nor is he involved in legislation or legal proceedings. Ruling Council The Ruling Council is made up of a representative from each of the districts in Corstopitum, with narrow legislative powers. The Ruling Council is the only body able to remove the Governor once elected. Unlike the Governor, a member of the Ruling Council serves for a single term of 10 years with no re-election possible. A unanimous vote by the Ruling Council may call a referendum by the Justicar on a legal policy, with the Head Justicar, the First Councilor of the Ruling Council, and the First Servitor of the Temple Council each having a vote on the questioned legislation. In addition, new legislation may be proposed for the Justicar's consideration by a four-fifths quorum of the Ruling Council. The Ruling Council holds no authority beyond legislation in criminal or legal matters. They do, however, decide on the budget allocation for public works and Temple projects. Temple Council The Temple Council is a loosely-organized body made up of a representative of each officially-acknowledged temple in the city. The body elects a First Servitor from their number to represent their interests in legal and bureaucratic matters, with a new election being held each year. Aside from participating in the arbitration of questioned legislation, the Temple Council is responsible for the administration of the Temple budget allocated by the ruling council. The responsibilities of the Temple Council include hospital and healing administration, orphanage management, and welfare administration. Justicar The Justicar is the legal arm of the government in Corstopitum. The Justicar consists of a Head Justicar, the Body of Justice, and the Voice of the Commons. New legislation proposed by the Ruling Council is approved by a majority vote of the Body of Justice, with the Voice of the Commons holding veto power via a majority vote. In cases of disputed legislation, the Head Justicar makes a final ruling along with the First Councilor and the First Servitor. In addition, the Head Justicar is directly responsible for the direction and administration of the City Watch. The Body of Justice consists of all of the magisters present in the city. All criminal cases are heard by members of the Body of Justice, although minor civil cases may be arbitrated by a member of the Temple Council. New members of the Body of Justice must be approved by a majority quorum of the existing members. The Voice of the Commons is an appointed civic position, with members being chosen by lot on a monthly basis from the census roles. There is one Voice chosen for every hundred people on the census roles. It should be noted that only residences inside the city walls are recognized for census purposes. The outer districts are governed by Corstopitum, but have no official representation. Typically, they have their own leadership, which petitions the Voice of the Commons for sponsorship of their concerns to the Body of Justice. People While Corstopitum does have a nobility with ties to Jus and the rest of Reilla, the unique history of the city, its continued ties with the Order of Bahamut, its distance from the capital, and the sheer amount of trade through the city have rendered nobility in and of itself relatively unimportant in the city. Instead, influence and power tend to be concentrated in the hands of the merchant houses. To be sure, many of the more influential houses tend to be noble as well, but that is more of a reflection of the inevitable intermarriage between the noble houses and the wealthy merchant houses. There are notable exceptions to this rule, however, and the Stonehaft clan is the most exemplary of this, being largely untitled and yet controlling a full quarter of the trade through the city. The control of 25% of the trade constitutes a de facto ruling minority, with the next largest merchant house controlling around 18% if the city's trade. A majority of the Stonehaft clan's assets are tied to the trade with Steinfestung, but the clan has extensive interests in other areas as well. Physical Organization The city itself is divided into the Old City and New City. The Old City contains all of the surviving original construction of Corstopitum and the prime districts of the city: the Government District, the Trade District, and the Temple District. The New City is made up of all the planned construction during the expansion of the city completed in DR 36482. The New City districts are as follows: the Market District, the Gateway District, the Artisan District, the North District, and the South District. Unofficially, the so-called "Outer Districts" are considered part of the city in all but name. Officially, the Outer Districts are self-governing towns, but the continued expansion of the city means that there is little distinction between the city proper and the Outer Districts other than the walls and lack of direct representation.